Cigarette case



g- 4, 1959 H. A. TARLETON ET AL 2,897,958

CIGARETTE CASE Filed April 4, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MM #1 e Aug. 4, 1959 H. A. TARLETON ETAL 2,897,958

CIGARETTE CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. IVA/P0 4722!:70

Filed April 4, 1957 i l i i i l 1 L.

United States Patent CIGARETTE CASE Howard A. Tarleton, Rye, N.Y., and Edward H. Rothrock, Honesdale, Pa., assignors to Black, Starr & Gorham, a corporation of Delaware Application April 4, 1957, Serial No. 650,593

2 Claims. (Cl. 20641) This invention relates to a cigarette case adapted to enclose a package of cigarettes in a manner to prevent the cigarettes from being crushed, or damaged while permitting them to be removed singly, with a minimum of eifort. Some brands of cigarettes are commonly closed in a relatively stiff cardboard box, having a lid that can be opened, and others may be wrapped in a paper package from which they may be removed, one by one, by tearing off the end of the package. 1

It is an object of this invention to provide an outer case which will protect the inner package or box from being damaged, while at the same time making it possible to remove a cigarette from the inner package with as much ease as though the case were not there.

It is a further object to provide a case in which the package may be inserted with ease, but which will retain the package in place until the cigarettes are all consumed.

The invention accordingly comprises the device, two embodiments of which are herein described and are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention adapted particularly for use with the relatively stifi board-package, showing a package in position to be inserted through the bottom;

Fig. 2 is a view of the case of Fig. 1 with the package inserted and the top thrown back to expose the cigarettes for use;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the case;

Fig. 4 is a detail;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation partly in section of the top portion of the case of Fig. l with the package in place;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of an embodiment adapted for use with paper enclosed packages, with the package in position to be inserted from the top;

Fig. 7 is a central section of the case of Fig. 6 with the package in place; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to Fig. 7 but with the top partly open in Fig. 8 and fully open in Fig. 9.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5, a body 10, rectangular in cross section corresponding to the cigarette package, and a top 11 that engages the body along an inclined plane Which is considerably higher at the back 12 than at the front. A hinge is provided at 12' about Which the top is hinged. The case itself is open at the bottom, as shown at 13, so that the package can be inserted and removed easily, as seen in Fig. 1, and the inclined plane 14, which divides the top 11 from the body is the same plane which divides the bottom 15 of the cigarette package from its cover 16.

Mounted within the top 11 on the side opposite the hinge 12 is a hook 17 pointed upwardly so that as the package is inserted in the case the hook 17 will engage the cardboard cover 16 of the package. As the top of the case is opened, the hook 17 will catch the material of the cover 16 and lift it up with the top 11. This hook not only opens the package automatically whenever the top 11 is raised but it also retains the package within the case until the package is exhausted and deliberately removed. It will be noted in Fig. 5 that as the top 11 is thrown back, the package is lifted '41 l ttle out of the box by the hinge side of the package being wrapped around the hinge 12'.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 9 is particularly intended for packages enclosed in paper, and in this embodiment the numeral 20 represents the body of the case, which, as in the previous embodiment, is a rectangular tube of the size and shape to receive a cigarette package, having a top 21 hinged to the body at 22, the parts in this respect being similar in construction and purpose to the corresponding par-ts of the first construction. In this embodiment, however, the cigarette package is inserted from the top and rests upon a retaining finger 23, extending inwardly from the back along the bottom, so that the bottom of the cigarette package may rest upon this finger and thereby provide retaining means but allow easy ejection of the empty package.

This type of package,however, does not have a separately Well defined stifi cover, so that the hook 17 is replaced by a spring 24 extending upwardly upon the inner edge of the back face, to a point above the hinge 22 and then is attached to the corresponding face of the top 21. A lug 25 is positioned to engage the spring 24 as the cover is closed, bending the spring inwardly against the package of cigarettes, the lug 25 slipping down between the spring 24 and the back wall of the container when the cover is in closed position.

Thus, the spring 24 holds the cover in either open or closed position and the position of the spring is such that it must engage the back Wall of the package during the opening operation and provide a positive means of retention of the package while removing cigarettes therefrom.

We claim:

1. A cigarette case comprising a rectangular tube for receiving a package of cigarettes, said package being of the cardboard type, having a lid openable at one end, said case having an open bottom at one end and a lid at the opposite end, substantially conforming to the shape of the lid on the package of cigarettes, whereby the package of cigarettes may be inserted into the case from the bottom, the plane of the opening of the case being substantially identical with the plane of the opening of the package of cigarettes placed therein, and means in the lid of the cigarette case for grasping the lid of the package, whereby the opening and the closing of the lid of the case will open and close the package, and whereby on the opening of the lid the entire package is automatically raised out of the metal case a small amount and in addition in this position the entire package may be pushed out of the case from the bottom.

2. A cigarette case adapted for use with a rectangular cigarette package of cardboard having a hinged lid openable at the top, said case comprising a rectangular tubular body open at the bottom and having a hinged top engaging said tubular body, the opening of the case being in substantially the same plane as the plane of the opening of said package contained therein, and means on said hinged top for retentively engaging the lid of said package to hold the package in the case and also to open the lid of the package when the top of the case is opened, such lid opening movement lifting the package in the case at the same time.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,240,563 Griffith Sept. 18, 1917 1,830,583 Woller Nov. 3, 1931 1,941,458 Bens Jan. 2, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 950,517 France Mar. 21, 1949 

